BENGALURU: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Tuesday revealed that the controversial NICE Road project may have breached legal provisions of the original framework agreement, and defended the formation of a cabinet sub-committee to investigate it.
Addressing the media, Parameshwara admitted, “The agreement was for transparency, but there may have been efforts to violate it in the past which needs to be looked into.” The state had allotted land at concessional rates, but issues around land misuse, toll agreements and incomplete construction are now under scrutiny.
The NICE project, part of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) conceived in the 1990s, has seen only 5km of the planned 9km stretch completed in one segment. Divided into A, B and C sections, the stretch till Bidadi falls under Section A, while the peripheral road is also covered in Section A of the framework agreement. Parameshwara revealed that the state is dealing with over 300 court cases on this issue, including 100 in the High Court and many pending in the Supreme Court. “We have a strong legal team and have brought the number down by 70 cases,” he added.
He defended the sub-committee’s mandate to examine the legality of the project, compensation and land use violations. On the politically sensitive issue of farmers’ compensation, he clarified that while oral assurances were given, these were not part of the official framework.
Separately, Parameshwara addressed concerns over a religious event scheduled for Saturday, saying foreigners cannot preach or participate in such functions under Indian law. Police and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) have informed organisers of the restrictions. Taking a veiled dig at the opposition, he said, “They have responsibility, but the government has ten times more.”
With calls to reclaim land, recover tolls and possibly scrap the project, the cabinet panel’s findings could reshape one of Karnataka’s most controversial infrastructure ventures.